Norris Trophy Rankings: Sanderson sparking Senators

Welcome to the fourth edition of theScore's 2024-25 Norris Trophy Rankings. We publish new rankings once a month throughout the campaign.

xGF% = five-on-five expected goals for percentage

5. Jake Sanderson, Senators

Previous: Unranked

The Senators are among the hottest teams in the NHL. They've won five of their last six games and are 10-4-1 since the last edition of these rankings Jan. 9.

Sanderson is arguably the biggest reason Ottawa now finds itself third in the Atlantic Division. He's been elite defensively all season - the offense is starting to catch up - and recorded 13 points in 14 games since the last rankings, which is tied for the team lead and is the second most among all NHL blue-liners.

The 22-year-old is a long shot to push himself into the top three, but Sanderson should absolutely receive some downballot love if he continues his strong play and is able to help the Senators snap a seven-year playoff drought.

4. Josh Morrissey, Jets

Previous: 4

There's a sizeable gap between Morrissey and the top three, but he remains worthy of a spot on our list.

The Jets stalwart is putting together his most well-rounded season, and that's saying a lot after he finished fifth in Norris voting with a career-high 76 points in 2022-23 and seventh with 69 points a year ago.

Morrissey's offense hasn't been quite as prolific this season, but his defensive play is vastly improved. His 2.33 expected goals against per 60 minutes stands to be his lowest mark in seven years, and his well-rounded game is a major reason the Jets find themselves atop the NHL standings.

3. Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets

Previous: 3

If the Norris Trophy was about most value provided to the team, as the Hart Trophy is, Werenski would have a strong case for a higher spot on this list. He's provided immeasurable value to the Blue Jackets, willing them into a playoff spot when nobody thought it was possible. How the team performs without him (he's day-to-day) could be telling.

But even though Werenski is miles ahead of No. 4 on our list, he's still got some work to do to crack the top two. While the offensive contributions between him, Cale Makar, and Quinn Hughes are negligible, Werenski isn't quite as sharp defensively.

Werenski leads the league in average time on ice, but he's actually posted minus-1.5 defensive goals above replacement.

2. Cale Makar, Avalanche

Previous: 2

If Hughes is forced to miss more time from the undisclosed injury that held him out the last two games, Makar could jump into top spot. But for now, the Avalanche star remains No. 2. It's neck-and-neck, though.

Makar and Hughes are separated by a point. They've both made major strides defensively, and it's safe to say they're the two best defensemen in the league (watching them go head-to-head at the 4 Nations Face-Off should be a treat).

Makar has been relatively quiet over the last month, registering nine points in 13 games since the last rankings. Nearly every defenseman would be thrilled with that type of production, but not Makar, who's produced a point per game or better every season outside of his rookie campaign.

1. Quinn Hughes, Canucks

Previous: 1

Hughes gets the nod over Makar because he's doing more with less. While Makar has the NHL's leading scorer in Nathan MacKinnon as his running mate, Hughes is leading the Canucks in points by a staggering 24. He's basically their whole offense.

Elias Pettersson is having a rough year. J.T. Miller wasn't producing at his normal rate before getting traded. It's been almost entirely on Hughes to drive play from the back end, and he's doing so at an elite rate. He has one more point than Makar despite playing eight fewer games.

Oh, and Hughes is also playing his best defensive hockey. His 2.23 expected goals against per 60 minutes is the lowest mark of his career, is better than Makar's 2.34, and ranks 20th among all NHL defensemen.

Keep an eye on:

• Rasmus Dahlin
• Adam Fox
• Victor Hedman
• Moritz Seider
• MacKenzie Weegar

(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)